ChallengeAZ 2017—A Bangle Dictionary | N for Notary

Quebec’s notarial contracts—the earliest being dated 1626—help family historians to gather precious information about their ancestors. These contracts include deeds, wills, marriage contracts, donation records, inventories of a deceased’s estate, indenture records, service agreements, exchange of goods, settlements, as well as guardianship papers. Each party is provided with an original copy and an additional copy kept by the notary, called minute, is the one we may consult nowadays. Although you have to know the notary’s name to find a specific contract, life became quite easier since Ancestry put an index online—even if it’s far from being perfect.

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The 2017 Challenge A to Z is proposed to the French community of bloggers by Sophie Boudarel of La Gazette des ancêtres